Gary Stephen "Angry" Anderson, born on August 5, 1947, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, is an Australian rock singer and songwriter. He initially worked as a fitter and turner in a factory before pursuing music. Angry Anderson's first notable band was Peace Power and Purity from 1971 to 1973, followed by Buster Brown, where he served as the lead vocalist. In 1976, Peter Wells of the heavy metal band Buffalo formed Rose Tattoo in Sydney, and Angry Anderson joined as the lead singer after replacing Tony Lake. Their single "Bad Boy for Love" peaked at number 19 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart in 1977. Angry Anderson's career with Rose Tattoo included five studio albums before disbanding in 1987. During this period, he also ventured into acting and television, appearing in films like Bullamakanka (1983) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). In 1987, Angry Anderson achieved his biggest solo hit with "Suddenly", which was featured as the wedding theme for popular characters Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. The song reached number 3 on the UK singles chart. Following Rose Tattoo's dissolution, Angry Anderson continued his solo career with albums like Blood from Stone (1990), which included the hit single "Bound for Glory". He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993 for his role as a youth advocate and was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2006. Rose Tattoo followed its Hall of Fame induction with Blood Brothers in 2007, while Angry Anderson joined Saxon, Lemmy Kilmister, and Helloween singer Andi Deris on "I've Got to Rock (To Stay Alive)" that year. The band revisited its debut album on Outlaws in 2020, recording new versions of its songs alongside three additional early compositions. Angry Anderson later joined the Poor and Dave Gleeson for a 2024 remake of "More Wine Waiter Please". Rose Tattoo covered Stevie Wright's "Hard Road" in 2025, and Angry Anderson reunited with former Buster Brown bandmate Phil Rudd to remake the group’s only album as Something to Say (2025 Redux). Rose Tattoo embarked on its 50th-anniversary farewell tour in 2026, but the remaining European dates were canceled after Angry Anderson suffered a cardiac arrest in August. He died in Australia on September 21, 2026, aged 79.
